Almost all current containers which are designed to be lifted and carried by a person do so by providing a handle on the top of the container. The handle forces the person to carry the container to one side of the body which places stresses and strains on the vertebrae in the lumbar region of the back and is potentially crippling. The awkwardness of having a handle on a container lends itself to a hazardous situation every time the container is manually handled when full or partially full. Other injuries that are experienced as a direct result of mishandling the container includes neck, shoulder and arm injuries, cuts and abrasions, sprains and strains to other parts of the person's body. Pouring the contents of the container again requires an awkward and unnatural pose to be adopted by the person, which again adds to injury.
In Australia alone, work-place injuries cost approximately ten billion dollars per year in reported cases. It is further estimated that for every reported case, there are approximately four unreported cases. This then equates to an approximate loss of forty billion dollars per year. Statistics show that between 25-37% of work-place injuries are directly related to injuries sustained from incorrect manual handling techniques.